Quelle: Tattoo Extreme (China), March 2012, S. 24 bis 29
Dr. Mark Benecke im Kurzportrait
Photo: Annie Bertram
Forensic medical officer is a heavy and unattractive work for most people. It happens all the time that you have to face the incomplete and smelly corpses. Out of our imagination, Mark Benecke is a unique figure in this field, and by achieving a great idea in his work, Dr. Mark becomes a world-renowned forensic entomologist. Mark Benecke was born in 1970, in Bavaria, Germany.
After receiving a Dr. rer. medic. at Cologne University in 1997, he worked in the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Manhattan, New York from 1997–1999. As of 2008, he works internationally on forensic cases as a freelance expert witness. He also teaches at various police academies and acts as a visiting professor to universities in Germany, England,Vietnam, Colombia, and the Philippines.
With his highly specialized knowledge of bugs, Mark has a lot experiences to help with the murder cases and prove the murder guilty by the examination of insects such as maggots and bluebottles in rotting flesh, and determine the cause and time of the dearth. There are seldom people know about forensic entomology in Taiwan, not even to mention the maggots which everyone hates to touch. Why does Mark want to study it? Mark thinks that he couldn’t be further from the truth without his examination of maggots, and these small and creeping maggots become the detectives for Mark, and show him the unspeakable secret for the dead body.
Photo: Rocksau Pictures
Mark mentioned that when he worked in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, New York, other colleagues always think he is a weird guy from German. That’s because Mark always spent a lot of time to study maggots even out of work, and sometimes, a large number of maggots will drop out from the dead body, and Mark could still focus on them without feeling any disgusting. Right now, Mark Benecke already becomes the authority on forensic entomology, but Mark still works very hard on any investigation, he realizes the importance of his job, and no matter what kind of insects he needs to study, he will do his best all the time!
Besides those maggots, Mark is also a big tattoo fan since he was young, he got his first tattoo (a lizard) on his shoulder about 20 years ago, and Mark had the lizard surrounded by a super weird tribal tattoo later. The meaning of the tattoo is not the most important thing for him, Mark thinks that tattoo is a very natural thing for him, and it’s also a very good way for him to mark life experiences. Mark is invited to be a visiting professor at international universities, and by the chance of travelling around the world, Mark said that he would like get more tattoo in other cities if he finds good tattooist, how about Taiwan? Possible!
來來㉂自德國的法㊩醫昆蟲㈻㊫學權威
法㊩醫的工作在我們的想像㆗㊥中,是㆒㈠㊀一個吃重不不討喜的工 作,因為常常面對的不不是殘缺的大體,就是惡惡臭的腐 屍。但來來㉂自德國Mark Benecke,卻在這個工作㆖㊤上㈲㊒有著 亮亮眼的表現。今年年 42 歲的 Mark,在 1997 年年取得科隆隆大㈻㊫學的㊩醫 ㈻㊫學博士㈻㊫學位,不不但幫助警察屢屢破奇案,更更受過紐紐約市長朱利利安尼 的邀請,成為紐紐約市首席㊩醫檢官的法㊩醫顧問,不不但㈿㊯協助過 FBI 的 探員辦案,也曾接受探險頻道Discovery Channel的採訪,介紹 他最重要的研究領領域:法㊩醫昆蟲㈻㊫學。
與蟲蟲情報㈵㊕特搜隊為伍
法㊩醫昆蟲㈻㊫學這個㈴㊔名詞在台灣幾乎沒㈲㊒有聽過,在全世界的研究㆟人員 更更是寥寥可數數,而 Mark 所研究的更更是大家都都厭惡惡之極的蛆蟲。 為什什麼要研究蛆蟲呢? Mark 說說說,在他的眼㆗㊥中,蛆蟲就是他的情 報㈵㊕特搜隊㆒㈠㊀一樣,可以用來來判斷屍體確切切的死亡時間,這跟蛆蟲本 身的㈵㊕特性㈲㊒有關,Mark 跟我們介紹,雌蠅並不不是到處產卵卵,必須 是溫暖潮濕又㈲㊒有充足的蛋白質供應的㆞地方,而㆟人體就是絕佳的產 卵卵㆞地。雌蠅在幾分鐘內就可以完成產卵卵,小蛆蟲在幾小時或是㆒㈠㊀一 ㆝天內就會孵化完成,而能夠精精準判斷的關鍵更更是因為蛆蟲不不同的 生命週期相當分明,出生、幼蟲、成蛹。屍體的內部化合物也因 腐敗程度度不不同而產生變化,這些判讀讀就可以提供檢方㈲㊒有利利的證 據,即使是高度度腐敗的屍體,也可以透過這些蛆蟲透露露出遇害的 時間,再與嫌疑犯等相關供詞㆒㈠㊀一對照,就能將不不法之徒繩之以 法。 雖然 Mark 現在已經是全球法㊩醫昆蟲㈻㊫學的權威,但是這個常 常與蛆蟲共處的工作內容,實在讓㆟人不不太敢與他靠近,Mark 說說說, ㉂自己在紐紐約刑事調查部裡裡,可是被大家封為頭號怪咖,因為他㆘㊦下 班後會在腐肉㆖㊤上培養蛆蟲,還㈲㊒有同事說說說常看著他對著滿身蛆蟲蠕 動的屍體發呆,㈲㊒有時屍袋㆒㈠㊀一打開,大量量的蛆蟲劈哩趴啦的掉㆒㈠㊀一 ㆞地,可把驗屍房的其他同事嚇得半死。Mark 說說說,雖然工作㆖㊤上每 ㆝天與蛆蟲相處,但其實驗證的工作相當㈲㊒有壓力力,德國的法㊩醫機構 ㈩㊉十分健全而且嚴謹,如果事後發現驗證㈲㊒有問題而導致冤獄的話, 負責驗證的法㊩醫就必須付出每㈰㊐日 1000 歐元的㈹代價,累累積幾來來也 是相當可觀,所以他們對於驗證的工作做得非常小心謹慎。
刺青是用來來記錄錄生命當㆘㊦下的方式
除了了法㊩醫的工作,Mark也很喜歡刺刺青,他說說說㉂自己第㆒㈠㊀一個刺刺青是肩膀㆖㊤上的蜥蜴, 那是在 20 多年年前德國第㆒㈠㊀一家官方認證的刺刺青店所刺刺的,之後更更沿著蜥蜴的圖 延展了了許多很㈵㊕特別的圖騰,對Mark來來說說說,他覺得刺刺青是㆒㈠㊀一種很㉂自然的行行為, 每個成年年㆟人都都可以做的事情,㈲㊒有時候他也會對於不不刺刺青的㆟人感到奇怪。刺刺青 的圖紋對他來來說說說並不不是非常重要,而是他用來來記錄錄生命的方式,他知道當初 ㉂自己為什什麼刺刺這個圖,但時間㆒㈠㊀一過去,刺刺什什麼似乎不不再是重點!長年年受邀擔 任國際間各大㈻㊫學的客座教授,Mark 常常㈲㊒有機會到其他城市,如果再來來愈到不不 錯的刺刺青師,Mark也會想要再刺刺青,就如同他所說說說的,這是再㉂自然不不過的 事了了。
法醫學小常識
利利用昆蟲來來㈿㊯協助刑事案件的調查在國外是㆒㈠㊀一門專門的㈻㊫學問,叫做法㊩醫昆蟲㈻㊫學。其實在㆗㊥中國春秋戰國時㈹代,孫子就記載過㆒㈠㊀一個與昆蟲㈲㊒有關的案件,㈲㊒有㆒㈠㊀一個㆟人被殺殺害後遺屍在稻田裡裡,前來來查案的公差看見見㈲㊒有㆒㈠㊀一個嫌 疑犯手㆗㊥中的鐮刀㆒㈠㊀一直㈲㊒有蚊蠅飛繞盤旋,心㆗㊥中起疑,後來來捉拿嫌疑犯後察看鐮刀,果然看出刀㆖㊤上還㈲㊒有㆒㈠㊀一些血跡,這也是因為蚊蠅喜歡接近血腥的關係。蛆蟲除了了會在屍體的㉂自然孔穴㆗㊥中產卵卵,也會在屍體的傷口㆖㊤上 繁殖,是抓出真凶的重要線索索。